The present invention relates to regulators for gas systems and, more particularly, to an automatic changeover two-stage LP gas regulator.
Automatic changeover two-stage LP gas regulators are widely known and used to provide gas to selected appliances at a stepped-down pressure. Automatic changeover regulators, such as the Marshall Gas Controls Model 250, typically include a high-pressure changeover regulator that includes at least one inlet for receiving gas from a pressurized container, reduces the gas pressure to a first predetermined level, and transmits that gas to a second, low-pressure regulator. The low-pressure regulator further reduces the gas pressure to a predetermined level prior to conveying the gas through an outlet to, e.g., an appliance.
In many applications, and particularly in the Recreational Vehicle (“RV”) field, at least two gas source containers (a “supply” container and a “reserve” container) are connected to at least two corresponding inlets at the first high-pressure regulator, with each inlet for receiving gas from a different gas source container. During use of the connected appliance, when the supply container becomes depleted of gas, the regulator automatically changes over to the reserve container such that the reserve container becomes the “new supply” container for providing gas to the regulator. After such a changeover, the original supply container can be disconnected from the corresponding inlet of the regulator and be refilled.